In a recent international poll 84 percent of people said they couldn’t give up their smartphone for a day.

Our phones have become so much more than just communication devices. We work on them, they entertain us, they store our information, photos and videos and they provide us with instant knowledge. We’re using them like an extended mind. That’s amazing.

But it can also be a little disconcerting. Technology is having a big effect on some of our long-held ideas about the way we’re meant to live, work and relate to each other. And it can be terribly distracting too.

This is where a regular yoga practice can be so beneficial. It helps us focus and gives us a place to rest in the midst of all those flickering pixels.

Yoga simplifies things, bringing our minds back to our relationships with others, ourselves and our surroundings. It takes us out of ‘doing mode’ and gets us into ‘being mode’.

Unplug to Recharge

If you feel like your mind is scattered across many screens a yoga retreat is a wonderful way to recharge and restore your sense of balance and calm.

Then when you return to the digital world, you will be better able to use technology in a way that reinforces the life you want to lead, rather than using it as a distraction.

Yoga can help us use technology consciously, in a way that is fully determined by us.

And then you’ll find inspiration all over the place, especially online.

Here are a few of my favourite spots for some mindful inspiration.

http://www.jbrownyoga.com/

http://www.rachelyoga.com/

http://www.dailycupofyoga.com/

From Onny and the team – thanks for reading!